NBA Rumors: Should The Milwaukee Bucks Consider Targeting Davis Bertans In 2020 Free Agency?
Washington Wizards small forward Davis Bertans is expected to be one of the most coveted players on the free agency market in the 2020 offseason. Bertans may not be an All-Star, but with his current performance in the 2019-20 NBA season, he would be an ideal target for teams who badly need to improve their outside shooting. One of the NBA teams who may consider signing Bertans in free agency is the Eastern Conference No. 1 seed, the Milwaukee Bucks.
In his recent article, Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report created a list of perfect free-agent targets for every NBA superstar duo. For Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton in Milwaukee, Swartz believes that targeting an elite three-point shooter like Bertans makes a lot of sense.
Sharing the court with a reliable floor-spacer like Bertans would greatly benefit Antetokounmpo and Middleton as it would make it easier for them to penetrate the basket or kick the ball out when they are trapped by the opposing team’s defense.
Though bringing Bertans to Milwaukee is only meant to boost their second unit, Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer could also experiment using a starting lineup featuring the small forward. As Swartz noted, adding Bertans to the core of Antetokounmpo, Middleton, Eric Bledsoe, and George Hill could make the Bucks a more dangerous team on the offensive end of the floor next season.
“When the Bucks go small with Antetokounmpo at center and Khris Middleton and Ersan Ilyasova as the forwards, Milwaukee has produced a tremendous net rating of plus-36.3, albeit in just 60 total minutes. This is where Bertans would help.
“The 27-year-old power forward averaged 15.4 points and 4.5 rebounds off the bench for the Washington Wizards this season, hitting over 42.0 percent of his three-pointers for the second straight year. He’d be a huge upgrade over the 33-year-old Ilyasova, who hasn’t even hit the 40.0 percent mark from deep since 2012-13.
“While Bertans would likely start games off the bench, a five-man unit of Eric Bledsoe, George Hill, Middleton, Bertans and Antetokounmpo would destroy teams with its outside shooting.”
Targeting a player that complements Antetokounmpo’s game is undeniably a wise move for the Bucks. With Antetokounmpo eligible to sign a massive contract extension in the 2020 offseason, the Bucks should do everything they can to prove to him that they are serious about winning the NBA championship.
As of now, Bertans hasn’t shown any indication that he’s no longer happy in Washington, but he could definitely be intrigued by the idea of playing for a legitimate title contender like the Bucks.
Unfortunately, it remains a big question mark on what type of contract Bertans would be looking for in free agency. If he prioritizes winning over money, signing with the Bucks would be a no-brainer for Bertans. However, if he is seeking a large contract, it is highly unlikely that the Bucks could steal him from the Wizards this fall.
